


Voltron Crimes Unit: A Criminal Minds Au

by bi_loser99



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Criminal Minds Setting, Bilingual Lance (Voltron), Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Cuban Lance (Voltron), F/F, F/M, Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Hunk & Lance (Voltron) Friendship, Hunk (Voltron) is so Pure, Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Lance & Pidge | Katie Holt Friendship, Lance (Voltron) Has ADHD, Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, Lance (Voltron)-centric, Lesbian Allura (Voltron), M/M, Minor Hunk/Shay (Voltron), Nonbinary Pidge | Katie Holt, Oblivious Keith (Voltron), Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Rape/Non-con Elements, Samoan Hunk (Voltron), Shiro (Voltron) Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Uncle Coran (Voltron), Violence, Whump, this story obviously has some dark themes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-15
Updated: 2018-10-15
Packaged: 2019-08-02 17:09:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16309277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bi_loser99/pseuds/bi_loser99
Summary: Lance is a certified genius fresh out of college with multiple PhDs. When his best friend, Allura, offers him a job in the FBI as a forensic expert in the BAU, he doesn't realize how his life will be changed forever.Join Lance and his team on their adventures and hardships while working in the BAU. They might even find love and friendships among the darkness of the job.





	Voltron Crimes Unit: A Criminal Minds Au

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone, this is based on art/headcanons by eyugho-art on tumblr 
> 
> (link: http://eyugho-art.tumblr.com/post/164510515775/is-there-a-criminal-minds-au-for-voltron-yet-if ) 
> 
> I've been working on this piece for a long time so I hope Y'all enjoy!

Lance had taken over the kitchen table, with papers and journals strewn across. His ancient laptop sitting in the middle of it all, when Mariana came bursting through the door. She was singing "I Am Pretty" from West Side Story. Lance had been in the zone, lost in his data and thoughts when her slightly off-key impression of Maria snapped him back to reality.

"Mariana?" Lance asked, brows furrowed.

"I feel pretty! Oh, so pretty! I feel pretty and witty and bright! And I pity, any girl who isn't me tonight!" Mariana continued, pulling Lance out of his chair and dancing him around until she twirled him away and laughed like a schoolgirl who had gotten a note from their crush.

To say that Lance was confused was the understatement of the year. More days than not, his sister came in with a groan before collapsing on the couch, burying her face into one of the stained pillows until Lance coaxed her up with the promise of coffee. She has never once come home energetic, never mind _singing_.

"Mari, are you high?" Lance asked, only half joking.

"I am high! I'm high on life!" She threw her bag on the couch and settles into the rickety chair next to the one that Lance had been occupying for the last few hours. "You'll never believe what happened to me today!" Mariana responds, humming the song.

"Did someone sell you magic beans?" Lance asks, snatching one of the cookies that Mariana had grabbed while dancing around the kitchen.

"Yeah, for a steal, only had to give them you!" She answers.

Lance sticks out his tongue in response. "Okay, what actually happened to make you look like you snorted a pixie stick?" He asks, the smallest hint of concern in his voice.

"Oh, I only got offered a position as an assistant attorney at Woods, Kensington, and freaking Forrest!" She threw her arms in the air for emphasis. "I got an offer from the best law firm in D.C.!" She exclaims.

" _ꜞAh Dios Mio!_ Mariana that is freaking amazing!" He lifts her suddenly, spinning his twin. "We have to celebrate! Oh my god!" Lance says.

"Oh, we are going freaking wild tonight. _Solo Se Vive Una Vez!_ " She responds, causing Lance to cackle.

"You sound like una _tía que trata de ser_ joven." Lance says and lets out a laugh.

" _Que es porque tu ser una tita!"_ Mariana yells.

" _Ah, paja!_ " He answers, and they both laugh.

"Estaras ready in an hour! I wanna get _croquettes_ from the stand on 18th and K street. Those things taste just like Mamí's! We are gonna celebrate _en la antro_!" Mariana yells while rushing off the get changed and put on her makeup.

"Better prepare my liver then," Lance responds, a small smile on his face.

With his sister out of the room, he feels himself deflate. Of course, he is so proud of his sister, but he can't help but feel a tinge of envy. It wasn't the sour kind that festered until it all spills out like bile from a wasted teenager. No, it was the kind that made your stomach drop and your soul feel a little heavier in your body. Sure, Lance had gotten plenty of offers from different organizations and even medicals schools and research institutes. The only problem was that they were hours upon hours away. The closest one had been three hours away. That wasn't going to work. Right now, he and Mariana were close enough to their family. He couldn't just leave them all alone.

So, at the moment, he had nothing. He was three weeks from officially ending his career as a student with no real prospects beyond continuing to research at the university. But, just as quick as he let himself deflate, he sprang into life. Tonight was about Mariana. So tonight he would drink and throw himself into being the proud brother. He could worry about himself tomorrow. 

 

* * *

  
A week later, and his prospects hadn't changed. He was borderline panicking. He had bills to pay, and the pay of a junior university researcher wasn't going to be enough for long. Sure, Mariana's job will boost their combined income greatly, but if he can't help anywhere close to that, then he might just shrivel up into himself.

It wasn't until twenty minutes later did Lance realize that instead of analyzing the charred bones of cadavers in order to try and be able to rebuild the person, (a feat many thought was impossible, but Lance could feel the answer on the tip of his tongue) he had simply been staring at the burnt bones and overthinking. He sighed, dragging his hand down his face, and decided to clean up the lab and head home. He can be more productive transcribing his recorded notes than staring at bones.

When he exited the lab, though, he did not expect to see, the girl with bright white hair and skin tanner than Lance's, also known as Allura Megalos, leaning against the wall just opposite of the door. He froze, unsure why Allura, the girl who planned even the most casual meetup to the second, would surprise him outside his research lab.

"Allura? What are you doing here?" Lance asks, suspicious of her intentions despite his love for her.

"Now, is that any way to greet your unofficial sister?" Allura asks with a mischievous smile painted onto her face.

He hugged her and she squeezed back before the separated.

"Are you heading to your apartment?" She asks.

"Yeah, I was gonna catch the next subway?" Lance responds as they start to walk out of the building.

"I'll give you a ride. I haven't been able to see you properly in three weeks!" Allura responds.

Lance knows he'll never win an argument against her.

Lance will never get used to Allura's car. She's had it for five years at this point, but he always gawks at it. It was a sleek black SUV, always looking as if it was bought just that day. Perks of being an agent he supposed.

"Allura, you know I love to hang out with you, but why are you here?" He eyes her suspiciously. "You always plan, like two weeks in advance, just to grab a coffee. I don't think you've ever surprised me. _Ever._ Did someone die?" Lance's eyes widen.

She barks out a laugh, taking her eyes off the road to look at Lance at a red light.

"No, Lance, no one died you goofball. I'm actually here on Borough business." She answers.

Lance eyes her from the side. "What does the FBI want with me?" He asks.

"Well, my team is looking for a new forensic expert. The last one had a complete mental breakdown and quit." She shrugs her shoulders. "The guy was a little weird I suppose. So, when I mentioned I happened to know a genius with PhDs in psychology and forensic science, the higher-ups seemed to love the idea." Allura says with a sly smile gracing her face.

"Allura! What-you-why-you didn't have to pull strings to get me a job!" His face flushes red. "I told you that I was perfectly fine with researching at the university!" Lance stumbles.

"Oh, I didn't pull any strings! I just mentioned your name and they took it from there! They practically begged me to get you to join! Why do you think they sent me and not some stuffy forty-year-old agent with a chip on his shoulder who's been hardened by his years on the force." Allura responds.

"I don't know, Allura…" Lance responds, voice quiet with uncertainty.   
  
"Just think, you won't be doing simulations and practicals in a lab anymore! You'll be in the field, seeing your work in the flesh, literally! I know your brain is itching for the challenge!"

"Even so, aren't you guys always traveling? You know I can't just up and leave my family, Allura." His voice sounded like he was physically fighting the urge to scream yes.

"Lance, your family can survive a couple days at a time away from you. Sure, we travel a lot but the pay is more than worth it! Lance, you can't tether yourself to your family for your entire life. This would be really good for you…" Allura says with a finality that Lance knew he couldn't say no.

She was right after all. If Mariana even thought that he was contemplating turning down Allura's offer she smacked him upside the head and practically drop kick him to Allura to beg for her to take him. But the idea of leaving Mariana so frequently made him break out into a cold sweat. So much could go wrong and he wouldn't be there to stop it.

But, he knew Allura was right. He loved to work in the lab, to be surrounded by the comforting quiet of science. But, to be in the field, to truly see where the science was unpredictable and honest would be amazing! He could learn so much from it!

He let out a long and deep sigh, dragging his hand down his face. Allura squeals, knowing that he is accepting.

"Great! This is just fantastic, Lance! You start your training tomorrow!" She pulls up in front of Lance's sketchy apartment building. "I had them let you start early and accelerate the program to fit your crazy brain! I promise you that you won't regret this!" Allura rambles.

"What if I had said no?" Lance asks, amused.

"Lance, I've known you since you were fifteen years old." Allura looks him dead in the eyes. "If you actually said no, I would think you were abducted by aliens and they left a clone behind while they probed your brain for all your beautiful human intelligence." She deadpans.

Lance cackles. "Now that I'm joining the FBI, will I be told the truth about aliens?" He asks.

Lance wipes tears from his eyes. "No comment," Allura responds, causing him to become hysterical again.

When he calmed down, he pulled his bag from the floor of the car. "I'm glad I got to see you again Al. Think, now I'll get to see you every day!"

"Oh great," Allura grumbles, but there is a smile on her face.

Lance climbs out of the car, only turning around when he hears the window roll down. "I'll see you in three weeks, Lance! And, please, try to behave like a normal human being!" Allura yells out the window.

"I behave normally! I'm normal!" Lance yells back.

"You act like a child genius and prodigy, Lance!" Lance blushes again. "Try to make friends!" Allura yells back.

Allura was so much like his Mamí and older sisters, it scared him sometimes.

"Goodbye, Allura!" Lance yells, and bounds his way up to his apartment with the biggest smile on his face.

 

* * *

  
After Allura's visit, the days seemed to fly by. Graduation passed by in a blur of siblings and mojitos. His time spent at the academy was exhilarating. Sure he knew criminology, but that was from the forensic standpoint. Learning things like operational skills and profiling was intense and demanding and he loved every second of it. He was surprisingly skilled in Hogan's Alley and firearms training. Allura had texted him one day saying that his superiors were praising him. He felt a bubble of pride build up in his chest at that.

Before he could blink, he had finished his training and was standing in the middle of the practically empty BAU bullpen with a box filled with his things to start his first day. The only problem is that he arrived two hours earlier than he needed to.

He was supposed to come in at eight a.m. so that he could get his badge and gun and sign paperwork and other First Day Of Work Things™. But he woke up at five that morning and knew there was no way he was going back to sleep. Instead, he got ready and came in early to try and get situated before meeting any of his new coworkers. Granted, he did think it would take him longer to get clearances and his badge. In reality, it only took about twenty minutes, baffled him when thinking back to his experiences with bureaucracy.

The empty desk near the edge of the bullpen catches his eye. They said that his desk would be easy to find, but he didn't want to set his stuff up at someone else's desk and make a fool of himself. So he approached the desk cautiously, only for a shiny gold nameplate to catch his eye. He reads "Special Agent Dr. Lance McClain, Forensic and Psychological Expert". He hasn't even gotten used to being a doctor yet, and he's had three years to prepare for that, nevermind adding Special Agent into the mix. He couldn't fight off the grin.

He quickly started to set his desk up. A potted white ginger plant that his mother had gifted him for his graduation and job. Some framed artwork from his nieces, nephews, and younger siblings, varying in skill level. His desk then became cluttered with photos of his family. It looked as if an old lady had decided to use the desk to hold her entire photo collection. He had photos of his aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, his parents, and siblings. Photos of his younger siblings mainly consist of school photos he bought and the occasional photo he took when he visited.

At the bottom of the box, he pulls his favorite photo, in a ratty frame with chipped gold paint. The photo was taken on his and Mariana's seventh birthday. Mariana and Lance were making the ugliest faces in the world. His mom's head was thrown back in laughter. His older sisters were either laughing or pouting, depending on who you were looking at. His dad was looking at all of them, with the softest and happiest look Lance has ever seen. Lance forces himself to remember that look.

A small part of him that Lance continuously attempts to ignore hopes that one day he'll have his own family to look at like that. He shakes his head as if to shake the thought out of his head and places the photo gently on the desk.

To the outside eye, it looks like the top of an elderly hoarder's desk. But Lance doesn't care, because it's grounding to see his family; the entire reason he was there in the first place.

When he's finished, he checks the time. Still, an hour until he was supposed to arrive. He contemplated exploring a bit when a voice made him jump in his chair.

"Lance? What are you doing here?" Allura's voice sounds from behind him. "You were supposed to come in at eight? You're an hour early." Allura says.

"ALLURA! Oh, uh, hey. I just thought I'd come in early." He scratches the back of his neck. "You know, to set my stuff up and just get a head start on the day! What are you doing here?" Lance fumbles, embarrassed that Allura had scared him.

"Lance, I practically live here. You don't want to know the number of times I've passed out at my desk. I keep an entire outfit in my office with makeup and showering supplies in case I end up staying the night." Allura deadpans.

Lance shakes his head at her. Allura can be so dedicated that it actually hurts. She's almost as bad at taking care of herself as Lance is. The keyword is almost.

"Well, now I'm here, so that's not happening anymore."

"Oh, okay, dad. You do realize that I'm your boss?" Allura teases.

They both know it's all in good fun. She would never actually hold that against him. She also knew he would never be so unprofessional as to treat her as anything other than his superior.

"Whatever you have to tell yourself in order to compensate for the fact that I am the hotter one," Lance says, flashing a faux flirty smile.

Allura snorts. "Face it, Lance, I'm a ten on my worst day, and you're maybe a six on your best." They both laugh.

"Well, since you are here, why don't I give you a quick tour on my way to pick up our case files?"

"We have a case already?"

"The BAU is pretty busy and the supply and demand ratio is unbelievable. We have cases most of the time."

"Cool. Cool. Cool. Cool. Cool. Cool. Cool. Cool. Cool. Co-"

Allura senses his anxiety and cuts him off. "So, as you know, this is the Bullpen! This is where we spend a large amount of our time not spent in the field. Maybe a bit less for you since you will be spending some time down on the third floor in the labs." Allura leads Lance away from the Bullpen. "All of the BAU is stationed in here, but each team is clustered together so the whole team is by you except me, Shiro, and Coran. You'll meet them later."

"Up here is Shiro, Coran, and my own offices, looking over everything. Very overwhelming for newbies. They feel like they're being watched." Allura chuckles. "To be honest, we don't have time to stare at them through our blinds." Lance snorts.

"Down the hall to the left is where the tech labs are." She points to their left. "Our very own tech analyst, Pidge, is down there. Her dungeon is even worse than my office! It terrifies me." Allura says, a chill running up her spine.

"The office or the person?" Lance asks as a joke.

"Both." Allura answers and even Lance gets a little scared.

Allura then takes a sharp right turn, Lance following. "This is where the case files are kept. I'm just going to pick up the rest of the team's files. I guess since you're here so early, you can take a look and see if you find anything useful with that brain of yours." Allura pulls out six case files from a box on one of the dozens of shelves in the room. Lance already knew he would get lost in here trying to find something.

"Is it a bad one?" Lance asks curiously, but not anxiously.

As a Unit Chief, Allura was glad that he wasn't scared of the cases. As a friend though, she was a little concerned that violence and horror don't faze him, but she lets herself believe it's because he's been studying forensics for the past seven years.

"Yes and no. You'll see for yourself." She hands Lance the case file.

He immediately begins speeding through the case. Only taking seconds to read through the entire thing. Allura has seen him does this a million times in the past seven years, but it never ceases to amaze her.

"They never found bodies?"

"Nope, until we have evidence or real reason to believe that they aren't, we assume that they're still alive. Another woman was taken this morning. Once we have a team briefing, we'll head out."

"That fast?" He asks, looking up from the photos.

"We're a pretty fast-paced unit. We just might be able to keep up with your brain."

"Wait a second! I have an idea!" Lance exclaims with the look on his face telling her that his big brain was already at work.

He turns and starts speed walking the opposite way. "Where are you going?" Allura asks.

"I have something that could help the case! I might be a few minutes late to the briefing though!" Lance yells over his shoulder making no moves to slow down.

"Go do your thing, Brainiac!" Allura says with a huge grin on her face.

The team was going to love him. She knew it.

Sure, he was young; the youngest and fastest to join the Bureau. But he was just that smart. He was going to thrive here and she knew it. So, every second of pretty much begging and arguing with her superiors that they would be making the biggest mistake since they lost D.B. Cooper if they didn't hire him was more than worth it.

Not only would the team benefit from having Lance around, but Lance would also benefit from having the team around. In the eight years they'd known each other, Allura was his only friend. Sure, he had a few academic colleagues, but Lance was not one to open up. I mean, Allura has known him for eight whole years, since he was fifteen years old, and she didn't know much about him.

Sure, they were very close, she was pretty much his best friend outside his family, but she knew almost nothing about him. He doesn't really talk about anything that happened after he left Cuba. She really knew nothing outside of school and work. Lance hides his guarded personality behind an intricate mask or faux-arrogance and artificial bubbliness.

When they'd first met, Lance was significantly shorter than her tall stature. She was done growing at the point and had settled at a nice 5'10. Lance, instead had yet to hit a single growth spurt, despite already being fifteen. Making him no taller than 5'2. He was also halfway to starved, weighing only 95 pounds at the time. Allura has since then been able to fatten him up, but he's BMI still barely meets the requirement to be a healthy weight.

He had a terrible stutter when they met in a chemistry class. Allura had waited until her senior year to complete that GenEd requirement. Lance was a tiny little freshman sitting at a lab in the front of the room. He looked absolutely terrified, shaking like a leaf as three boys, obviously years older than him, seemed to be bothering him. Allura didn't know the kid but who the hell thought it was okay to talk to someone like that just because they were younger and obviously smarter than them.

_Allura sits in the chair next to the boy. "Excuse me, is there a reason why you're bothering my little brother?" Allure asks._  
  
_All boys freeze and turn bright red. "Oh, uh, we didn't, uh we didn't_ reali _-" One boy stutters out._

_"I suggest you get out of here before I find myself in the Dean's Office. And if I ever catch you messing with my little brother again, you will severely regret it. Understood?" Allura asks with a smile on her face, scaring the boys even more._

_"Sure lady!" The boys say before they fled to the other side of the room._

_She turns to the boy next to her. "People can be so misguided sometimes," She says._

_"I'm-I'm_ s-s _-sorry Miss, b-_ b-b _-but I-uh-I think you-you have the w-w-wrong table. I'm-I'm not-not you're_ b-b _-brother." The kids_ stutters _out._

_His tan face turning bright red at his stutter and the fact that the girl sitting next to him looked like an actual goddess._

_"Oh, no, I know that!" She says laughing. Lance's blush somehow deepens._   
_"I just said that so those idiots would back off. Hopefully, word will spread and most people will leave you alone." She flashes an empathetic smile. "I remember kids used to give me such a hard time about my hair, it's been this color since I was born, but eventually, they got over it."_

_She holds out her hand to shake his. "I'm Allura, by the way."_

_He stared at her slender, tan hand before taking it in his own cold, trembling hand, shaking them so gently she barely felt her hand move._

_A small smile graces his face. "Nice-Nice-Nice t-to meet you. I'm-I'm-I'm Lance."_

"Allura! Are those the newest case files?" Shiro asks, standing directly in front of her.

Allura jumps, being in her own head, she hadn't even noticed her surroundings. A total Lance move that is very unlike her.

"Oh!" She gasps. "Shiro, you scared me. I was zoned out. Yes, these are them. Briefing in…" Allura glances down at her watch. "Fifteen minutes!"

"I think in the three years we've been working together, I haven't seen you zone out once," Shiro says, half amused and half concerned.

Allura smiles. "Nothing to worry about, Shiro. I was just remembering a pleasant memory." She hands Shiro his file copy. "Not everything is about the BAU, you know," Allura says with a smirk on her face.

They start walking back into the Bullpen, talking about the case when they saw the team surrounding a desk. Allura realizes they are surrounding Lance's desk and frowns.

"Lot's of pictures of family and kids, pushing the facade of a happy family. Wants people to think he's a good dad and husband." Keith says.

"He also has lots of artwork, some pretty good and others just terrible. Could be his kids? But they are all so different, some of them really good." Hunk scratches his chin. "Could simply be narcissistic and wants us to see his artwork." Hunk adds.

"His laptop is junk. I mean, I didn't think any of these things survived the early 2000's, nevermind working enough to be considered a work laptop." Pidge crinkles her nose. "This guy must be old enough to be set really set in his ways," Pidge says, eyeing the laptop as if it were about to pull a knife on them.

"I like the flower!" Coran sniffs the bundle of flowers sitting in the painted pottery. "It's very pretty and smells amazing!" He says.

"They use a lot of ‘social items', I mean photos, artwork, a plant. These are all used to create conversation. Must be an extrovert or maybe desperate to make friends." Hunk says.

Shiro and Allura give each other a look as if to say would it kill them to follow the rules for once?. They decide to let them keep going until they notice they're caught, that is until the start deeply analyzing Lance to the point where she gets nervous.

"I would say that's enough, don't you, Shiro?" Allura says, looking at Shiro.

All four of them freeze and turn slowly, peeling their eyes off of the new member's desk and to their Unit Chiefs.

"Yeah, I have to say I agree. Pidge, Keith, I should have expected this from you two." Shiro frowns. "But Hunk and Coran, come on. I expect more from you two." Shiro says, causing the former to protest and the latter to hang their heads in shame.

Getting scolded by Shiro was the worst, it was like getting scolded by your own dad. (Even if Coran is old enough to be his dad)

"Now, if you would like, we have a briefing to be getting to?" Allura says, eyebrows raised.

"Where's the new guy?" Hunk asks.

Shiro suddenly realizes Allura wasn't leading the new member around like usual.

"Probably lugging up another box of family albums to stow away," Keith grumbles.

"He came in early this morning so, he discovered something that can help us on this case. He should be back any moment with what he is doing." Allura starts walking towards the briefing room. "We'll start without him since he has already read the case."

She decides not to correct them about who Lance really is as punishment for inter-profiling. (Even after both she and Shiro told them not to just the day before.)

Everyone is confused by her statement. How early could this guy have been? They all come at least half an hour early every day. And enough time to already figure something? They all look at Shiro for an answer, but he just shrugs and follows Allura. They all follow suit.

Allura had already spread the case files around, minus the one the new guy had with him. They all sat down.

Allura started the projector. "Over the past fourteen months, three women have gone missing from Hungry Horse, Montana." Allura starts before Hunk interrupts.

"Wait, the actual name of the town is Hungry Horse?" He asks, incredulously.

Allura sighs. "Yes, Hunk. That is the name. When we get there, no one makes fun of it. Please." She takes a breath to recompose herself. "These three women were all young, brunette, and white. Their names are Michelle Lawfer, Jennifer Hillbridge, and the latest victim, Angela Miller. The latest victim was taken this morning while her husband and son were inside the store."

Suddenly, the door burst open and Lance finally joined the team. His hair was slightly more tousled then it was when Allura last saw him. His sweater, which hung off him loosely, was skewed by his brown messenger bag and exposed part of his tan shoulder. If Allura wasn't in Unit Chef Mode™, she would be teasing him so badly about this. She'd just have to save them for later.

The entire team just stared at him as Lance sat down in the seat closest to Allura.

He grinned sheepishly. "Sorry I'm late, I got caught up in the calculations and I lost track of time," Lance says.

The others, besides Allura, give him an incredulous look. "Everyone, this is our newest member, Dr. Lance McClain," Allura says, perfectly masking her excitement over the fact that Lance is a freaking doctor now.

Lance waves. "Just call me Lan-"

Keith cuts him off. "How are you a doctor? You're like two years old?" Keith asks, causing Lance to turn towards him sharply.

"Excuse me? I'm twenty-two, not two. I can assure you that I earned my-" Lance starts but is cut off again.

"What kind of doctor are you?" Hunk asks

"I have a doctorate in forensic science and psychology fro-"

"Wait, now you have two doctorates? Those take four years each. Are you sure we looked into his cre-" Keith cuts Lance off once again.

Lance bristles. "My credentials are legit! Who are you to ques-" Lance could feel himself getting defensive and flustered.

He tries to finish but is cut off by Shiro. "When did you graduate?" Shiro squinted his eyes in suspicion.

"Two-Two weeks ag-"

Lance isn't given any time to finish before he is cut off again. He curses himself out in his head for letting himself get flustered enough for his stutter to come back. It took him two years to finally be able to speak regularly without it.

"Two weeks! Jesus, you really are a kid!" Keith responds.

"Guys why don't we just give him a-" Coran tries, feeling bad for the poor kid. He looks so embarrassed.

"Guys, cu-" Allura tries to diffuse the situation but Lance cuts her off.

"I earned-earned my doctorates like any-anyone else! Just because I-I did it faster than-uh-than most doesn't m-" He is cut off this time by Pidge.

Pidge jumps up in realization. "Wait, where did you go?" Pidge asks.

"George-Georgetown since undergrad," Lance says, just relieved to at least be able to finish a thought.

"Oh my god! I know you!" Pidge exclaims, surprising everyone, including Lance.

"You have-uh a familiar face, but I don't-uh-remember us ever meeti-"

"No, no, you never met me." Pidge laughs. "You worked with my father and brother before. You worked with them on DNA fingerprinting for single cells using STR Markers. I remember your name from your books that you gave to them as thanks for their help. Matt said you were tiny, but I didn't realize he meant an _actual child_." Pidge says, smirking but holding out her small hand to shake.

"Oh, you're related to Doctors Sam and Matt Holt." Lance lights up. "They were a great help with those experiments! They were the first lab to join my lab for discovering how to rebuild makeups and reconstructions from burned and seemingly destroyed bones and teeth!" Lance shakes Pidge's hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"As I was saying before everyone cut me off." Allura glares at the group. "Lance may be young, but he is a certified genius, IQ of 187, has a photographic memory, and can read 20,000 words per minute. He has published two books on forensic science and has a multitude of academic journals. I would say that his credentials are justified." Allura says, daring anyone to question her.

"Well, I don't believe that intelligence can be truly quantified-" Lance starts rambling.

"Lance." Allura cuts him off with a firm but not angry tone, and he stops nervously rambling.

"What was it that you thought of when you first looked at the case?" Pidge asks curiously.

"Oh, yes! When I saw that all of the victims were taken from a large range of places in Flathead County, I thought that using spatial analysis would help us figure out where the unsub is keeping the victims and where he could live!" He pulls out the black and white map of the county covered in different colored ink markings from his bag. "I mean we would have to use a profile and such to narrow it down, it gives a region, not an address. The math hasn't advanced that much. Although, prov-" Lance rambles.

"How much do you have so far?" Shiro asks, curious about this new technique.

"Well, right now, I have it down to about a thirty-mile radius. But when we get more information, I can narrow it down even more." Lance answers, glad he wasn't immediately shot down.

"Well, the reason why they want us-"

"Are you sure they want us?" Hunk asks nervously.

"Why?" Lance asks, confused.

"Montana is the Militia capital of the world. They're not a fan of the government in general." Keith answers, an edge on his voice that annoys Lance.

"They need our help because they already know who the unsub was. Francis Goehring was speeding in the car of Angela Miller when three units pulled him over." She pulls up pictures of a burned out car and an injured officer. "He pulled a grenade and took an officer with him. But they don't know where the four women are." Allura says.

"Wheels up in thirty guys. Lance, do you have a go-bag?" Shiro asks and Lance is so glad Allura told him to bring one just in case.

He scrambles to follow the team out. "Yeah, it's at my desk," Lance answers.

While alone at his desk, Lance decides to call Mariana before he leaves. She knew that the traveling a lot would be a thing but she would freak if he just left and didn't say anything. It rang twice before she answered.

"Associate Attorney Mariana McClain, how can I help you?" Mariana says, causing Lance to smile brightly.

"Well don't you sound _prestigioso_." Lance retorts causing the pair to laugh.

" _No mas prestigioso de ‘Special Agent Doctor Lance McClain' pero_ it has a nice ring to it." Mariana shots back playfully.

"I don't think I'll get over that! It's _un bocando pero_ it makes me seem like _un langa_."

"More like _un pelotudo_."

"Well, I'm just calling to let you know, _nos vamos para Montana en diez minutos_." Lance walked towards the cars they were taking to get to the plane, picking the one Allura was driving.

" _Chabon! Pilas,_ okay! _Tu es un avion pero_ you have your head in the clouds too much!" Thankfully, only Allura was in the car, Coran still talking to Hunk and Pidge.

" _Listo, listo. Te amo, mana_."

" _Los Vidrios! Te amo!_ " Mariana said and hung up.

Lance puts his phone back into his bag. "Family?" Allura asks.

"Yeah, just telling them I'm leaving," Lance responds, purposely avoiding exactly who he was on the phone with.

Allura was used to it. Despite the years of friendship, family was always a touchy subject for Lance. Even when Lance mentioned it first, she would have to tread lightly.

"I can't predict how long it'll be, but it shouldn't be that long. You'll be back before you miss them!" Coran says, now in the backseat.

"I'm not worried! But I imagine they would if I just disappeared without a word! Apparently, that's something you shouldn't do." Lance jokes and Coran laughs and Allura chuckles softly, reminded of the one summer where Lance went MIA on her and never gave her a real reason why. 

 

* * *

  
Lance quickly learned that sitting on a private plane (which he can't get over that) can be awkward with six strangers. Sure, he knew Allura, but she's in a professional mindset, not Mom Friend Mode™. He shouldn't cling to her if he wants to be apart of the team anyway. He needs to do this on his own.

But he has no experience making friends. Sure, he made friends as a kid, but after he moved from Cuba, he found it extremely hard to. He was scrawny, had a severe stutter, and was attached to his family and science books. He skipped grades and wasn't even with kids his age. When he got to college, he only became friends with Allura because she came over to him. Besides that, he's never made a friend. He's aware that sad for a twenty-two-year-old man, but give him a break okay?

But as they continued to go over the case on the long plane ride over, Lance learned it was going to be even harder than he originally thought. He couldn't even fit as part of the team, never mind friends.

"After we meet the officers and sheriff of Flathead county, Allura, Coran, Hunk and Lance will stay at the station while me and Keith will head to the scene of the latest abduction. We need to work fast if we hope to find these girls alive." Shiro says, the team nodding in return.

When they arrive at the station, Allura introduces the team, "Sheriff Villarreal, we talked on the phone. I'm SSA Allura Megalos."

"It's nice to meet folks." The Sheriff responds, shaking Allura and Shiro's hands.

"I wish it was under better circumstances," Shiro responds.

"I'm SSA Takashi Shirogane, call me Shiro for time's sake. This here is my team: SSA Coran Anagnos, linguistics expert, SSA Keith Kogane, Hunk Garrett, profile expert and technical analyst, and Special Age-" Shiro, who had been pointing to each member, was cut off when he got to Lance.

One of the officers from behind the Sheriff speaks up. "Ain't the kid a little young to be on your team?" Lance wants the ground to open from under him and swallow him whole.

"This here is our forensics expert, Special Agent Dr. Lance McClain," Allura says, in a tone, not even the officer would question.

Sheriff Villarreal leads them to the conference room."Well, we set up the things you asked for, Mrs. Megalos, in the conference room. It's not huge but it should work better than the middle of the floor." He says.

As soon as they enter the room, the team jumps into action, each getting into their groove. Keith and Shiro start talking to the Sheriff about the crime scene. Allura starts talking to Coran about a new press release for the local news station about the missing women and Goehring. Hunk starts to analyze the reports about the abductions of the women.

Lance freezes for a moment. He doesn't know where he belongs in the groove of the team. He would usually let his brain do all the work, doing what he felt was right. But he did that this morning and the team tore him apart. He doesn't want to blunder his chance with the team any more than he already has.

But, then he eyes a large map on the board with pins marking the sites of each abduction, and his fingers itch to work on it with his own map. This map was much better than the one he had gotten from Quantico. He could refine his calculations much more. So, he lets instincts take over and he takes on the map, marking it up until it matches his own.

"Sheriff, quick question before you head to the scene," Lance asks suddenly surprising the team more than it should have. Just because he was young didn't make him a lost puppy.

"What do you need, Doctor?" The Sheriff asks, turning towards him and away from Shiro and Keith.

"In the reports, I didn't see anything about the vehicle that Goehring used to get to the crime scenes?" Lance asks.

"That's because there wasn't one. He musta walked to each one." The Sheriff answers, questioning why this was important.

"I don't see how that was possible. I mean, looking at the map, he had to walk from wherever he's keeping these women to the sites of the abductions and take the women back. We don't know when or where he dumped the victim's cars, but he had to walk from them as well, possibly with the victims." Lance rambles.

Lance continues without taking a breath. "I mean, firstly, all these are incredibly far from each other in all different directions. Secondly, there's a certain radius near the home of the unsub that the unsub won't go near because he doesn't want to get caught. But if he walked to all of these different sites to abduct the woman and didn't hunt in the radius, then there is no zone where he could have been living and keeping the women."

"Well, then maybe he was in the area where he lived?" The Sheriff responds, annoyance in his voice.

"That's not possible. It's not possible, unsubs stay out of the region even if they don't realize it. It's a psychological thing, they can't help it." Lance retorts.

"Well, then maybe your math is off, kids." The Sheriff is clearly annoyed, but Lance doesn't seem to realize it.

"The map can't be off. It's all math calculations. Algorithms that are tried and true, guaranteed to be successful at a rate of 98.37% according to a study done by the Harvard Department of Forensic Science. In my own calculations, I have a success rate of 99.49% rate. I just think that there's a hole in the story that we're not-"

Lance is cut off from his rant by Shiro. "Lance, that is enough. You're not helping by berating the Sheriff. We need to go to the abduction site and talk to the victim's family. Talk to Hunk about this." Shiro says, his tone cold.

Oh no. He messed up. He didn't realize he was annoying. He was just doing his job. He is here to be an expert in forensic science (psychology too but that's not that main title) and he is telling them something in the story is wrong. But they don't want to hear what he has to say? Then why hire him and why bring him here in the first place? Now he feels just as frustrated as the Sheriff seems to be.

He turns back to his map, a scowl on his face as Shiro and Keith leave the station with the sheriff. His shoulders are tense and hunched up towards his ears. He tugs on the long sleeves of his Carolina blue sweater to calm down. He'd learned ways to deal with when he was stressed but it wasn't as easy as when he was a kid. Someone places a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it gently but with a reassuring firmness that Lance knows it's Allura.

He immediately melts. "Don't let Shiro get to you. He doesn't mean to be so detached and cold sounding, but he just gets into the job and stressed. His compartmentalization skills are intense. It's like how you are with science or math. It's not your fault you didn't realize the Sheriff was getting annoyed either. You'll figure out the map." She smiles.

"You should talk to Hunk, though. He's the tech analyst and profiling expert. He'll be a great help, and I think you two will get along." Allura let's go of Lance's shoulder after another squeeze and walks back over to Coran.

Before Lance can even look to see where Hunk is, a large and heavy hand lands on his shoulder, scaring the crap out of Lance. He jumps what feels like ten feet into the air but was most probably only a couple inches.

"Sorry, man! Didn't mean to surprise you like that! My fault, my fault!" Hunk says, his voice warm and friendly, similar to the way Allura speaks to him.

Lance relaxes about 20%. "That's okay, don't worry about it. So you're the technical analyst?" Lance asks, making sure he remembered correctly. He remembered everything he reads, not hears.

"Yeah! I guess Allura told you! I wasn't even supposed to be on the team at first! I came as a one-time thing. But like a "super friendly parasite," as Pidge puts it, I never left and joined the team! Pidge is the best at with tech though. I can keep up most of the time, but they're a true prodigy. They built their first computer out of junk they found dumpster diving at nine!" Hunk exclaims and Lance smiles.

"Can I ask you a question about Pidge?" Lance asks, nervous of the reaction but more nervous he'll screw up around Pidge.

"Shoot!"

"Um, when I talked to Pidge's brother and father, they called Pidge Katie and in the pictures, Pidge had really long hair and wore feminine clothing, now Pidge wears more masculine clothing and goes by Pidge and had short hair. Also, no one has used she/her pronouns. So, um, what pronouns should I use? I don't want to offend Pidge by using the wrong ones." Lance rambles, nervous that he'll make Hunk angry by asking.

"Oh, I guess Allura forgot to tell you! Our evil little Pidge is nonbinary, so they go by they/them pronouns. It's not a big deal, but that's what they prefer, so try to stick to them. But you asked, so I doubt you'll have a problem with it." Hunk says with a genuine smile that makes Lance relax again.

"Not at all! I don't have a problem with that at all! That's why I asked! I don't want to offend them! Matt and Sam talked about them all the time, and the way they were described by them and Allura, Pidge kinda scares me! Also, I'm not gonna be an-"

Hunk caught on quickly by watching Lance and Allura's interactions that Lance is a chronic rambler and has to be cut off to get him to stop. Allura does it by changing the direction of the conversation, he might ramble again after but he gets worked up if she lets it run its course. Shiro also seemed to notice, or at least was beginning to, but he was annoyed before and cut Lance off a bit rudely. So, Hunk cuts him off nicely.

"How's it going with the map? Do you want to work together on it?" Hunk asks, still looking at Lance instead of ignoring him in favor of the map.

"That would be great!" He gives Hunk a better view of the board. "Something is missing. We are missing something big in the story that is throwing off everything. The Sheriff thinks it's the math but it's not. The math is never wrong, I know my math. I've done this a million times. Hungry Horse isn't some twilight zone where my math doesn't work. See?" Lance says, showing Hunk the map and explaining the parts that Hunk is unfamiliar with.

"Well, we've been using the reports to create the map the profile, maybe we need some more on Goehring's past to figure out more. " Hunk says, his eyes brightening at the idea.

"Yes, that's a great idea! I should have thought about that!" Lance exclaims, pulling out what they have on Goehring. They haven't heard from Pidge yet, so it wasn't much.

"Well, he went down in a blaze of glory. He knew he was outnumbered and outgunned, so he decided they weren't going to take him alive, and he was going to take down as many cops as he could with him." Hunk says.

"Sounds like a distaste for authority. He's in militia country and the police say he wasn't from town, so he was probably apart of a militia as well. Those combined could mean a military background. We should call Pidge!" Lance bounces back.

Lance whips out his phone and dialed Pidge's number. They had given Lance their numbers on the plane ride over.

"This is Charon, ferryman to the information underworld for you beautiful profilers. Pay the toll and you may be guided by yours truly." Pidge says.

Hunk let out a snort. "Uh, your glasses make your eyes look nice?" Lance answers, unsure of how he's supposed to answer and Hunk is no help.

"Oh! Lance! I didn't realize it was you! Well, get used to the interesting way I answer the phone because it's one of the few consistencies at the BAU. What can I do for our very own Georgetown Genius?" Pidge responds, nonchalantly.

Lance flushes. "Uh, can you look to see if Francis Goehring has a military background and/or ties to any militia's here in Montana, most likely within 30 miles of the latest abduction site?" Lance asks.

"Well, FBI Einstein, I've been digging around the world wide web, legally and slightly illegally, and I haven't foun- Well, would you look at that, you really are a genius. Here we go! Oh, have I got some dirt for you!" Pidge responds.

"Let me put you on speaker so the room can hear you!" Lance says.

"You're on speaker, Pidge, shoot!" Hunk yells in the direction of Lance's phone, now on the table in the middle of the room.

"Well, my skillful team of profilers, Goehring does indeed have a military background. He was dishonorably discharged three years ago after two violent altercations, including a bar brawl which leads to three people being hospitalized, none of them being our late Goehring."

"He came home and married a woman named Elaine Barb Sommer. Oh, they were married for a year before Elaine left town and filed a restraining order. Oh, another thing! Goehring was apart of what the FBI so eloquently called an 'Aggressive militia group'-as if there are passive militia groups- only ten miles away from the latest abduction site. Sending the address to your phones now!" Pidge says before they hang up.

"Hunk and Lance head over to the militia compound and talk to the leader, see if they'll give you anything," Shiro says.

"If they're apart of a militia, why would they help us?" Lance asks, not entirely comfortable about going to a heavily weaponized compound with people who despise the federal government.

Hunk is already walking out of the door. "Remind them that they're not helping us, they're helping four innocent, missing women," Allura responds coolly.

Lance scrambles to follow. "Good luck, lads! Have fun bonding!" Coran yells out behind them and Lance swears he can hear Allura facepalming.

"Coran, they're going to interview a militia leader about kidnapped women, that's not fun."

Hunk gets into the passenger seat and Lance just stares at the open driver's side door.

"Hey, you can drive! Everyone always fights about who gets to go, but I hate arguing so she's all yours!" Hum says happily, brows knitting together when Lance continues to just stare.

"You don't know how to drive, do you?" Hunk states plainly.

"No one ever taught me," Lance states plainly, but the blush on his face conveying his embarrassment.

Hunk settles into the driver's seat. "Well, now we have a great way for you to bond with the team! We'll help teach you how to drive!" Hunk exclaims.

"Great…"

As Hunk pulls the car out of the station's small parking lot, Lance realizes that he is away from Allura and with this very large very strong stranger. Sure, Hunk seemed like a really nice guy, but he's a stranger and Allura isn't there to protect him. Rationally, Lance knows that Hunk isn't going to simply snap and hurt him, but, that doesn't stop him from thinking about it.

"So, wanna put on some tunes? You can pick! It's about a twenty-minute drive to the compound according to the GPS." Hunk says cheerfully, in a hidden to coax Lance away from his position practically plastered to the door.

"Sure, I'd like to say I have great taste in music, so I should be able to put something great on!" Lance responds the cocky facade is back on after a brief lapse.

Lance plugs his phone into the aux, pulling up his favorite playlist on Spotify. When the first song blasts through the speaker, a huge grin breaks out on Hunk's face.

"Man, Camilla Cabello is the best! Her music always gets me in the zone! You were right, your playlist is already fire!" Hunk says.

For a large portion of the ride, Hunk and Lance talk about different parts of the case, even talking about some theories and question they have. When the GPS alerts them that they are less than five minutes away, Hunk reluctantly turns off the music.

"This is your first time doing this outside of training, right?" Hunk asks, looking at Lance.

"Uh, yeah," Lance answers, dreading the impending lecture.

"Good, we're gonna use that to our advantage!" Hunk says, surprising Lance.

"We are?" Lance asks, skeptical.

"Trust me, alright. I got a sick plan." Hunk retorts, and honestly Lance can't really say no anyway.

Lance is standing on the porch of the militia leaders house, his body is begging to give in to the anxiety and to shake, but Lance paid attention in training and stays still. He knocks on the screen door, getting the leader's attention.

"Didn't you read the sign, kid." The guys ask, annoyed.

"I did, I'm not a salesman. I'm with the FBI." Lance whips out his badge for the militia leader to see.

"Then you should definitely turn your skinny ass around and go back to where you came from." The man says, even more, aggressive than before.

"I just came to ask a few questions about Francis Goehring?" Lance asks.

"I don't have any answers for the FBI." The man says, going to open the door.

Just then, Hunk comes into view, throwing off the man. Hunk demeanor has done a complete 180 from how he was before. No his face is deadly serious, his tone is toeing the line between aggressive and cold. The exact demeanor that Lance had feared in the car, except it was being used to protect him and try to help the victims. Lance would smile if the situation allowed it.

"Well then, do you have any answers for the four innocent women that Goehring kidnapped? How about their families?" Hunk says.

The man takes a step back anyway. "Listen, I don't know anything about that." He responds.

"We know that Goehring lived here. He may have even brought his victims here. We don't care about your militia. We just want to help those women." Hunk says, and something shifts in the man's face.

"Goehring hasn't been here in a year, not since we kicked him out. You can look in his cabin. We don't want anything to do with him." The man says and gives them the location of Goehring's cabin.

"By the way kid, the way you wear that gun out in the open on your hip, you're asking for someone to take it off you." The man adds as they go to walk towards the cabin and away from the man.

When Lance and Hunk get to Goehring's cabin, they aren't surprised to see that it doesn't look as if someone's lived in it for months. But they look through it for any clues anyway.

"You did well for your first time. I threw up my first time. It was embarrassing. " Hunk says as they start to search through Goehring's mail.

"Damn, that's pretty bad," Lance says.

They both laugh. "Yeah, my supervisors were not happy about it."

Lance throws the mail back onto the shelf. "All this mail is junk, newsletters, and advertisements. Looks like he just used this as his official address, but didn't actually live here." He says.

Hunk quickly brings his foot down on a locked box, breaking the padlock as if it was a paper clip. He starts rummaging through while Lance looks through the drawers.

"It's clean, but not as clean as someone with a history in the military would usually keep it," Lance adds.

"Bingo!" Hunk yells out and pulls out a series of tapes.

"What's on them?" Lance asks, and Hunk shrugs.

He starts making his way towards the door. "Not sure, the only thing on the labels are numbers. We better go back to the station to watch them." Hunk says.

Something in the trunk catches Lance's eyes and he grabs it without much thought. It was a photo of Goehring and presumably his wife.

"Well, she looks clearly terrified and he is clearly extremely possessive over her," Hunk says.

"We need to talk to Elaine," Lance says.

"Allura sent a unit to pick her up from her new address when we left, so she should be there by now," Hunk says, and they drive off towards the station, Latin music playing once more. 

 

* * *

  
When Hunk and Lance arrive at the station, laughing loudly as the walked in, the team, now including Keith and Shiro, are shocked. Granted, Hunk has a naturally friendly personality and had opened up to all of them quickly. But it was strange to see the rambling, awkward genius light up like that. Allura had a small smile on her face, but she really wanted to jump for joy. Lance needs friends and he had made one all on his own!

"What are you to laugh at?" Shiro asks, just as confused as the rest.

"Hunk's terrible impression of Enrique Iglesias! His Spanish pronunciation is just sad!" Lance says, still smiling.

"Yeah, and your singing skills could make a deaf man's ears bleed!" Hunk playfully retorts.

"I'm glad you're bonding, but did you find anything out at the compound?" Allura asks.

"Well, we managed to get into his house in the compound, but it didn't look like he actually lived there. It was more of a place to have his official address at." Lance says.

Hunk picks up right where he left off. "But we did find a collection of homemade tapes. We don't know what's on them yet, they're just numbered. We'll have to watch them." Hunk and Lance fist bump as they go to watch the tapes.

"Well, that's just great," Keith says sarcastically.

Allura glares at him and he stops talking. "Play nice," Shiro says to him.

"Ah yes, because you were so nice when he told him off for annoying the Sheriff." Keith retorts.

Shiro scowls. "Keith," Shiro says in his dad voice and Keith sighs.

Just then Elaine Barb Sommer is brought in by two officers. Her whole demeanor scream terror. You can almost smell it off of her. The officers are standing close to her as if she would run off at any second. To be honest, it wouldn't surprise him at all.

Shiro runs the interview, with Keith assisting, as usual. Shiro starts off gently, asking simple questions like when did she leave and when was the last time she saw Goehring. The only problem was that she wasn't answering them. She was being difficult, and it was frustrating the hell out of Keith.

"Coran, dearest linguistics expert, you're gonna want to go over these," Hunk says as Lance struggles to push the cart and Hunk pulls it as if it weighs nothing.

"What's on them?" Keith asks.

"His manifesto," Lance states just before Coran plays the first tape.

Goehring goes on about order and serfdom and being a king-like figure. Lance points out how he sits on the chair as if it was a throne and Allura points out how the camera angle is an attempt to make him seem overbearing and powerful.

Elaine just stares at the recording as if she was seeing the devil himself. Fear radiating off of her.

"Listen, Ma'am," Keith burst out, startling Elaine. "We know that Goehring was a sadistic man. He tortured you, made your life a living hell. That is until the militia kicked him out. These four women, don't have a militia to get rid of him, to help them. Notice how you all look similar? That's because they all look like you, his type,"

Keith jabs at the spread photos of the victims, "So tell us, where might he have taken them."

The woman has tears in her eyes at this point, but she finally complies.

"When we got married, after my parents had died, he made me give him their land!" She says, wiping away some tears.

"Thank you, Ma'am. Now, what's the address." Keith asks, slightly less aggressive than before.

She spills it and the officers take her away. The team quickly gets ready to head over, only 20 minutes out of town so they should get there quickly. Lance pulls out his map, while Hunk grabs a bulletproof vest from the pile for the two.

"I knew it!" Lance exclaims.

"Knew what, man?" Hunk asks as he straps himself in.

"The map was right! It's inside my 30-mile radius. I mean, we're still missing something, something isn't adding up, but I was right!" Lance says, sounding as if the balance was brought back to his life. Seeing as he is correct almost 100% of the time and people were saying he was wrong, that makes sense to Hunk.

"I told you, buddy! Now let's get those women." Hunk says.

When the team and the officers arrive at the farm, everyone splits up to find the women. Keith finds Angela Miller first.

"Guys, over here! In the garden!" Keith yells, everyone rushes over.

There, lying face up in a pile of dirt is the corpse of Angela Miller.

"Dammit!" The Sheriff yells and everyone's heart sinks a little bit.

"Two gunshot wounds to the back." Shiro states.

"I knew it!" Lance exclaims once again, getting everyone' attention.

"Yeah, we all did Lance. It's not hard to see. It's literally in our face-" Keith says annoyed but Lance cuts him off.

"No Mullethead, I knew something was off. That we were missing a crucial detail that was throwing it off. I finally figured it out!" Lance exclaims, kneeling down and examining the body.

"Well, please, enlighten us then," Keith replies even more annoyed than before.

It is not a mullet.

Lance begins to examine the body. "See the state of the body? Rigor mortis is in the beginnings of the first phase! The blood isn't anywhere near dry! Bodily fluids haven't started to drain from the body and the skin is still pink! For god's sake, she's still warm! She couldn't have been killed more than 30 minutes ago!" Lance states, looking up to the group.

"But Goehring died this morning…" The Sheriff says.

"Goehring was killed, but his partner is still out there," Hunk says.

"Uh guys, these rose bushes are different heights, in different stages of growth, and this one even still has it's tag on," Lance says, no one even noticed he had gotten up from the body and moved.   
Lance lifts the bush slightly, and beetles scurry out away from the moving bush.

"Aren't those-" Allura starts but Lance finishes for her.

"Rhizophagus parallelocollis, commonly known as Corpse Beetles. Actually, they don't feed on corpses, they feed on the larvae that feed on corpses. The dead are a source of such an intricate and beautiful ecosy-" Lance says but Shiro cuts him off.

"Sheriff, we're gonna need shovels, I think we just found the other victims."

After the team finished digging up the bodies of the other three victims and the coroner's office took them away, the team turned inside to find out what they could about the partner.

The inside of the house was intensely clean as if it were in a prison or mental health institute, which Lance points out. Not a thing was out of place. But Goehring definitely lived here, it had almost a distorted version of cozy. You know, for a serial killer and his partner. There was a summarized version of Goehring's manifesto posted on the wall.

"Goehring saw this as his castle, and he the king, There is no way that a sadistic narcissist could have a partner even somewhere near an equal to him," Hunk says as he eyes the collection of weapons and militia magazines organized neatly on the coffee table.

Keith eyes the list of rules posted to the wall. "That's why he didn't. He didn't kidnap the women for serfs, he had the partner to do that. Think about it, the serf keeps the castle clean, does whatever the master tells him, would bury the bodies, make all his meals, drive Goehring to the abduction so they could leave in separate cars without a trace." He says.

"Then what were the women for?" Shiro asks.

"Guys, I think we just found out," Allura yells from the bedroom just off from the living room.

The team joins Allura and Lance to see what they discovered. In a closet, there was what was clearly a chair built for torture. Lance lifts up the bed after noticing the hinges on the end by the wall, revealing a makeshift wall of homemade torture devices.

Lance's face was even paler than before. "I'm going to have to inspect the bodies, but I'm going to say that they are going to have a severe amount of mutilation. He didn't wait months in between kidnapping because he was building his kingdom, it just took them so long to die." He says.

"We need to find this partner," Shiro says.

"Is there anyone who may have seen or known who this partner could be?" Allura asks the Sheriff.

"If anyone could know, it's Harris Johnson. He owns a bar in town, he's also the biggest militia leader within a 50-mile radius." The Sheriff answers.

"Keith and Lance, you two go over there and see if they have any information," Allura says, throwing everyone but Lance off.

"What? Why would you send us?" Keith asks incredulously.

"They already know that the FBI is in town. But the last people they would expect is you two." Allura answers, looking Lance in the eyes with a smirk on her face.

"Why not?" Keith asks, not really understand.

"When people think of FBI agents, they think of middle-aged, straight, white men. Latino people only make up 7.1% of FBI agents and Asian American people only make up 2.5% of FBI agents. Sending us with throw them off their game and allow us to possibly get some information from them." Lance rattles off as if it was obvious.

Everyone just stares at him because why the hell does he know that?

He tugs on his sweater sleeves. "What? I did some light reading on the history of the FBI when I got the job. I didn't know that much about it before Allura told me I got the job." Lance says.

Keith stalks over to the car. "Let's just get this over with. The sooner we get in there and get what information we can, the faster we catch this guy." Keith says and Lance rushes off with him.

"Um, Allura, you know that I respect your decisions as a leader and a friend, but why would you send those two? They go together like oil and water." Hunk says.

He's uneasy about the rash and aggressive Keith with sensitive but cocky Lance together, alone.

"I have to say I agree with Hunk on this one…" Shiro says, not wanting to insult Allura because she is a way better leader than he is in his eyes, but he knows Keith better than anyone and those two are not going to mix well.

"They don't realize it yet, but they compliment each other. One's weakness is the other's strength. It can work if they just try. They just need some practice and some pushing in the right direction." Allura says.

No one decides to question her.

 

* * *

  
The car ride to the bar was silent, and not the comfortable one that Lance had with Hunk. No, this was a stuffy and overbearing silence that made Lance desperately want out of this car and away from the mullet wearing hot head. Keith is the one to break the silence, but Lance wishes that he didn't even more.

Keith doesn't peel his eyes off the road. "Listen, just say behind me and stay quiet. I'll do all the talking. You just have to show your face, your badge and stay on alert the second we step in there. Leave everything to me. We don't need you to act like some scared newbie and screw it up."

Lance glares at the older boy. "Oh and what, I'll just be your token latino? This may come as a surprise but I actually know what I'm doing. I'm not going to screw up simply by opening my mouth. I'm not incompetent like you think just because I'm younger."

  
"Will you just listen to me! I'm leading and that's it! God, don't make it difficult. I know what I'm doing." Keith snaps back, leaving them both fuming and tense.

When they enter the bar, Keith walks in first with Lance close behind. When they walk in, the bar goes still and silent, straight from the old Cantina movies his mother showed him as a kid. As "planned" Keith leads the conversation/interrogation.

"I'm Special Agent Keith Kogane, this is Special Agent Dr. Lance McClain. We're with the FB-" Keith starts but it already cut off by one of the patrons of the bar.

"We know who you're with, you don't need to say it." The man says, his back to them.

"We're here to talk to Harris Johnson. We have a couple questi-" Keith is once again cut off after the man stands to face them, taking in their appearance.

"Well, this is rich. Why the hell are you two working for the federal government, never mind the FBI." Johnson says, laughter in his voice.

Keith feels his anger bubbling inside his chest. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I doubt I have to remind you that the federal government rounded up any Asian person in the country and stuck them in their own, less deadly version of the Holocaust less than a hundred years ago, and throughout the history of this government, they did their best to keep out Asian people until after the war was over, starting in the 19th century," Johnson says.

Keith uses all his willpower to keep from losing his version of cool.

"But you, kid, really surprise me. I mean a Mexican working for the government that despises your people with such a hatred, it's baffling. The things they do to your kind who hop the border." The man says, and Lance tenses for a moment before responding, surprisingly calm.

"I'm not Mexican nor did I come here illegally," Lance responds coolly.

"No, you're not Mexican! But I'd recognize your accent anywhere. Even better, a Cuban Communist working for the government. Probably came here on a dingy and now you're capturing them and sending them back." The man barks out a laugh. "I mean, don't you remember how the federal government has hated and actively worked against your country to try and see it fail since the 60's. And even in the FBI, Latinos are treated like dirt. Don't you remember the 80's? I mean we all remember the taco circuit! They still got you on that one, I see." Keith wants to punch him in the nose, but before he can react, Lance speaks.

"Sir, you can believe what you'd like to believe about my country and FBI. We're not here to ask you to help the FBI, we're here to ask you to help the four women who were brutally murdered, whose killer is still out there. A man that you may have seen, who'd hover around Goehring like a moth to a flame. A man who is out there right now, who you could help get off the street." Lance responds calculated and cold.

Even Keith is surprised by how calm and well, intelligent it is.

Johnson continues his staring contest with Lance for a few more moments.

Johnson scowls and grabs another beer from behind the bar. "He was a scrawny thing like you, except shorter. Hung around Goehring like a puppy, it was sickening. I only saw him once, through the barrel of my gun while hunting. They were hunting, Goehring doing all the gory work while the kid did the bust work. He was around your age, I'd say. That's all I know "

"Here, just in case you suddenly remember anything else," Lance says and slowly pulls out one of his new cards and places it on the bar, a foot away from Johnson.

Keith and Lance slowly left the bar.

Back in the car and on their way back to the station, Keith broke the silence again. They hope to get there at the same time as Hunk, who had gone to speak to the nursery where Goehring and his partner got the flowers.

Lance didn't dread this as much as the first. He had been cool and calm and collected and weaseled information out of the man like nothing.

What had sounded like, "That was great, you defused the tense situation and threw their stalling and distractions right back in there face. That was intelligent and I'm impressed," in his head came out more like insults and a punishment.

"What the hell was that back there. You completely brushed past me like an idiot and ignored what I said to do!" Keith yelled.

"I did my job. We have information about the partner that we didn't have before and actually got a militia leader to help us. It doesn't matter who did the talking. You really need to learn to read the room. You can't just go around with an attitude and with the arrogance of an FBI agent. It throws people off." Lance says frankly.

Keith's anger builds. This is not how he wanted this to go, why can't he just say what he means.

"That's rich coming from you! Dude, you've been here a day and Shiro's already had to tell you off for being too wrapped up in yourself and bombing at diplomacy!" Keith snaps.

Lance tenses but doesn't respond. Frankly, he was embarrassed by what happened and even more embarrassed that Keith brought it up. He prayed that it didn't become a thing that people wouldn't forget. He's had enough of those in his life. He also doesn't want to keep arguing with Keith. Keith has been here way longer than Lance. He has established his place on the team. Lance sighs because doesn't have the right to be an angry child. He has to push that aside for the team. Keith was excellent and Lance could learn from him. If only Keith would stop hating him.

When they got back to the station, they realized that they beat Hunk. So after giving the information to the team, they decided to go over the tapes they had found of the women to try and figure out more about the partner.

Lance had known that the case would be brutal due to the tools used, the profile of Goehring, and the amount of time it took the women to die. But it was very different to actually see it. As they watched the women being tied up and tortured, mutilated, and begging for their life, he tried to stay calm. He would add things that were relevant and listen to the others, but he could feel how terrible he must have looked. He hadn't really been paying attention to the others until Shiro pointed it out.

"Lance, are you okay?" Shiro asked.

Everyone's attention turns towards Lance and he finally peels his eyes away from the torture, feeling like he could breathe.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Lance says, turning back to the video.

"Dude, you're gonna have to be ready for this. This is like 95% of what the job is." Keith says but Lance just ignores him and comments on the partner's lack of involvement.

Everyone just watches Lance for a moment, the profiler in them can't help but analyze for a second. Lance was significantly paler than normal, obviously affected. But, his demeanor hasn't changed at all. He didn't flinch once at the violence and gore, he was completely fine with it. If Lance's skin tone hadn't tipped them off, they would think that it truly did nothing to him.

Allura clears her throat, a subtle way of telling them to stop profiling a team member. It's against protocol and it's very rude to do it without permission.

"I don't think the partner wanted anything to do with the women," Lance says.

"What do you mean, he's recording it!" Keith responds.

"Yeah, but look at how he's recording it. He doesn't stay on them for more than a few moments at a time, he puts all the focus on Goehring. Almost trailing him over…" Lance responds.

"That's because he's caressing him. He's in love with Goehring, that's why he is happy to be his serf." Keith exclaims.

"He didn't destroy the tapes to get rid of evidence, he did it out of jealousy," Allura adds.

Hunk bursts through the door. "Guys, the partner worked at the nursery! I got an address, let's head over." Hunk says and the team springs into action.

Once again Lance has a bulletproof vest on over his sweater. It's tight, but he's glad. No matter the fear this situation brings, the tightness is grounding him. He's in the car with Hunk and Allura, Shiro and Keith in the other car. Coran doesn't go out into the field, Lance didn't know why and didn't think he should ask. He'd be told in time if there was anything to tell.

The house was small and rundown, the backyard a mess. All in all, just from the outside it looked nothing like Goehring's "kingdom". Unfortunately, they cleared the house in minutes, there was no sign of Henry Frost anywhere in the house.

The inside of the house was torn apart. It looked as if a tornado tore through the room and they were looking at the remains. The team set out to look for clues and ways to profile Frost, to see if they can figure out where he would go now. Everyone seemed fixated on the house, but Lance remembers how disheveled the backyard seemed, no one seemed to notice anyone but themselves unless they said something so he slipped out the back door.

At first, he felt stupid for thinking there could be something. All there looked to be were overgrown plant life and trash that blew in. That is until Lance found a wheelbarrow full of photos. It looks like all the photos from Newton's life, especially his childhood. The most alarming feature was that in every photo, the face of Frost was burned away.  
  
"I don't get it? Why would he burn...Oh my god!" Lance realizes what it means.

He grabs a handful of photos and runs into the house. "Guys, we're not going to find Frost," Lance says, approaching the searching agents.

"Wow, thanks for the optimism. You really are such a great help." Keith says, annoyed and brushing off the new agent.

"No, look at this house. This looks nothing like the Frost who was partners with Goehring. Look at these picture of Frost I found in a wheelbarrow in the backyard, there were hundreds just like it!" Lance says, handing out the photos so everyone has one.

"All the faces are burnt out?" Hunk says.

"Why would he burn out his own face?" Shiro asks.

"Because his identity was Goehring!" Lance says, and something in Keith's face clicks.

"When Goehring died, he lost his entire identity. Goehring was his identity. He burned out his face because he doesn't have an individual identity. His entire life is Goehring." Keith answers.

"Then how the hell are we going to find him?" Hunk says.

Allura, who had stepped out seconds after Lance entered to answer the room, comes in with a scowl on her face.

"What is it?" Shiro asks, immediately noticing her demeanor.

"I just got a call from the Sheriff. We need to head over to Marcy's Gas and Mart." She answers walking towards the door.

"Why?" Lance asks.

"Another woman was taken." She says and is out the door.

The car ride over to the gas station was quick but incredibly tense. While they were looking through pictures and trash, Frost kidnapped a girl.

"This doesn't make sense," Lance says, this time with Shiro and Keith.

"Well, the guy helped kidnap and kill four women, so it kind of does." Keith snaps, not in the mood to deal with Lance.

"Yea, but that was because of his love for Goehring. He has no interest in the women. I mean, Pidge says that when his dad found out he was gay, he kicked him out, which sent him spiraling. He's not the sexual sadist that Goehring was. He has no need for the girl. It just doesn't make sense. Why the switch all of a sudden?" Lance points out.

"Maybe he has orders from Goehring? Like if something happened?" Shira says, thinking about what he said.

"Maybe, but that just seems so out of character…" Lance replies as they pull into the gas station.

It's not until they talk to the owner of the gas station that anything makes sense. Lance had still been thinking about how this didn't seem right, not paying attention to the interview of the woman until she said that is wasn't Frost who kidnapped the girl.

"This isn't the man you saw?" Shiro asked, confused.

"Here, look. I got it on video when he bought pumpkin seeds." The woman says, leading them inside to view a small tv screen. They watched as Goehring bought pumpkin seeds...

"That's why we can't figure out his next move," Allura says.

"Without his own identity and in crisis-" Lance replies but is cut off by Keith.

"He's taken on Goehring's identity, his only source of identity."

"We need to stop trying to profile Henry Frost, and start profiling Francis Goehring." Shiro finishes.

The ride back to the station was tense and silent. Lance aquated it to waiting outside the principal's office after getting in trouble in class. When back at the station, the team sprang to life, each running to look at the different evidence and try to figure out where Frost could be. Lance ran over to the map he pinned to the board when they came in. Shiro, Allura, and the Sheriff are all talking behind him.

"Sheriff, when we do find Frost, we're going to need your best shooter," Shiro says.

The Sheriff frowns. "Alright, I'll go make the call. If this guy isn't Goehring, will we really need them?"

Allura nods. "Yes; Frost may be the one holding Becky, but Goehring is still calling the shots."

Lance keeps staring at the map, searching to for a missing clue he desperately needed. He struggled to focus with the sound of Goehring's Manifesto playing in the background, droning on about his kingdom and how it requires defense and…

"That's it!" Lance suddenly exclaims, startling everyone in the room.   
"What is it, Lance?" Hunk asks.

Lance ignores him. "Keith!" Lance almost knocks Keith out of his chair when he smacks the back of it with his hip. "Where is the picture from Goehring's fridge?" He asks.

Keith looks at him incredulously. "Watch it!" Keith looks up from the pile of photos collected from Goehring and Frost's homes. "What picture are you talking about?"

Lance rocks of the balls of his feet. "The one of Goehring that was on his fridge at the militia compound." He's practically tripping over his words. "He's in front of a rock formation in the desert."

Keith's eyes light up. "I just saw that one!" He searches through the pile before pulling out a small photo. "This one!"

The Sheriff takes a look at the photo. "That's Blackshaw Ridge. Militias would use it as a practice range before the state troopers put an end to it." He rubs his beard. "It would be a good spot to torture and kill somebody."

Hunk adds in. "Goehring talks all about high ground and easily held defense. This would be the perfect spot."

"Alright team, let's get over there," Shiro tosses a vest at Lance, which he catches a second after it hits his chest. "Put this on and stay close." He says. 

 

* * *

  
Lance climbed the mountainside with Hunk and Allura silently. The last thing they needed was to alert Frost of their position and agitate him while he held a weapon to a hostages head. Lance felt like his heart was in his throat. He'd gone over and practiced what to do in a hostage what feels like a million times in the academy, but experiencing it, in reality, is entirely different. It felt like one wrong move would result in complete tragedy. And honestly, it would.

"Frost, listen it doesn't have to be like this." Shiro's voice echoes from below. "I just want to talk."

Frost's panicking voice follows. "I'm not talking! It's too late to talk!" He screams back.

The pleas for mercy from the victim make Lance's heartache. They seemed to echo in his ears.

"Frost, we can work this out. It doesn't need to end this way."

"Don't let them take you alive. Don't be forgotten." Frost exclaims, seemingly more to himself.

Some scuffling can be heard from above, Becky's cries becoming frantic. "Frost, don't do this!" Shiro says.

A gunshot rings out above and suddenly they were running up the side of the mountain. When they reach the clearing, Frost lay lifeless on the ground. The blood pooling under him was a dark crimson color. Lance looked away and instead ran over to crying victim.

"Hello, Becky, my name is Dr. Lance McClain, I'm an agent with the FBI," He quickly got the medievalesque torture device from under her bleeding neck. "Are you hurt anywhere else?"

"No!" She frantically shakes her head. "No, nowhere else. I just want to go home." She cries, clutching onto his arm.

 

* * *

  
Lance has a strong belief that paperwork is the worst part of the job. It seemed like a never-ending pile on his desk. The bullpen was quiet, only a few people left there this late into the night. Lance felt like his eyes were made of lead, his back ached due his hunched over position. He dragged his hand down his face, calluses rubbing against the smooth skin of his face.

"Lance, my boy," Coran's voice behind him startles Lance. "I'm just about ready to head out, would you like a ride? Allura has mentioned you have not gotten your license yet."

Lance's cheeks flush. "Um, thank you Coran, but I'm still filling out my paperwork." Lance smiles awkwardly. "Anyways, Allura is taking me home."

Coran just smiles back. "Alright, my boy. See you on Monday." Coran buttons up his jacket. "Have a nice weekend!" With that Coran is gone.

Lance sighs, he truly didn't want to have to endure a car ride alone with Coran. Sure, the man seemed nice and all, but Lance hardly knew him. Definitely not enough for a ride home alone with him.

He glances up to Allura's office, seeing her buried in piles of case files. She seemed completely immersed in her reading. He sighs again, knowing he won't leave for a while, despite the late hour. Before he can turn back to his paperwork, Shiro approaches his desk.

"Lance," Shiro seems serious, making Lance gulp. "Can we talk in my office?" Shiro asks.

"Sure thing, Boss." Lance stands to follow Shiro.

Shiro is silent the entire walk to his office, only speaking once the door was closed.

"Your first case was an intense one. How are you feeling?" Shiro asks, sitting at his desk.

Lance is surprised. "Oh, I'm good, Shiro." He furrows his brows. "You don't have to worry about me. I know what I've gotten myself into." His face sets in determination.

Shiro takes a moment to consider what Lance has said before responding. "How are you adjusting to working with the team?"

Lance considers his response. "Well, working with a team like this is new to me." He bites his lip. "But, it's not something difficult to adjust to. Everyone is good at what they do, and I trust them to do their jobs." Lance feels like his answer is a cop out even though he is being honest.

"I know that we can be intense and a bit closed off at first." Lance holds back a snort. "But that's because we're not just a team. Be patient and don't stop trying with us. We'll make an effort too."

Shiro pauses. "Lance, this team…" He pauses again, Lance notices the frequency. "Lance, we're more than a team."

Lance's head tilts to the side. A moment later a bright red blush paints his tan cheeks. "Please tell me you're not also some weird orgy group." The words tumble out of his mouth before he can stop them. "I mean, you guys seem nice but-"

Shiro cuts him off, his eyes the size of dinner plates. "What? No? We're not-why would-No, we're not an ‘orgy group'," Shiro drags his prosthetic hand down his face. "I was going to say, we're like a family."

Lance freezes. God, he feels like an idiot. "Yeah, I see now that that makes more sense than an orgy group." His blush only worsens. "My bad."

Allura knocks on the door, bag in hand. "Ready to go, Lance?"

Lance has never been happier for her to interrupt a conversation. "Yeah, all set to go!" He responds a bit too loud.

Allura gives him a look but decides to wait until they were alone to ask.   
"Alright, see you on Monday, Shiro." She smiles softly.

Shiro smiles back, surprising Lance. "See you both on Monday. Have a good weekend."

Lance is just ready to collapse into his bed and sleep for the next 48 hours.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope Y'all enjoyed reading this as much as I loved writing it!
> 
> So here's the plan for this fic:  
> -each chapter will be like one full episode of criminal minds  
>  -I did this on purpose because I liked the flow of the story better that way  
> -because of how long each chapter will be, it will take me longer to update but I truly hope it will be worth it   
> -all romances will be slow burn so please be patient  
> -As we get more into the story and the backstories of the character, darker themes will be used 
> 
> Please comment with any critics or thoughts you have! I love to hear from you guys! 
> 
> Where to find me:
> 
> Tumblr: klance-or-die.tumblr.com  
> Twitter: @klance_or_die  
> Ko-fi: http://ko-fi.com/klance-or-die


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